It should come as no surprise that it is the small, entrepreneurial manufacturers who are leading the way in the green revolution of personal care products and household cleaning products.  The large conglomerates like Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble turn out thousands of products each year, but have you ever really stopped to see what’s in these products?  All one need do is to read the label on any of the products and you will see that it is a toxic soup of a multitude of chemicals.  It literally takes a chemistry degree to decipher the ingredients and understand what’s in them.  And why?  Only a generation or two ago, our parents and grandparents used to use effective but simple products to clean their homes.  And these products contained ingredients we know and understand like baking soda and white vinegar.

Big business has industrialized both the home cleaning products industry as well as the personal care industry.  These products aren’t better than the natural ones, they are just toxic.  Every year the rates of cancer are increasing, and is it really any wonder? We slather chemicals on our skin and scalp and then leave it to our bodies to detoxify the chemicals.  And it’s not just the personal care products we use directly on our bodies.  It’s also the cleaning products we use in our home.  Take laundry for example.  Whatever laundry detergent, whiteners or fabric softeners you use on clothes then get put on your body.  And you skin absorbs the chemicals.  Or think about the chemicals you use to clean your home and the fumes they give off- we breathe them all in.  It’s even worse for your pets since they are down low on the ground coming into greater contact with the chemicals.

But luckily there is change coming, much in the same way change has come to our food industry.  Small manufacturers are starting to make their own natural and healthy products which work better than the traditional chemical ones.  Some are organic certified and some just use wholesome, good ingredients.  How can you tell which products are good for you?  Turn over products and start reading labels.  A good rule of thumb is, if you know what it is, and it’s something you can eat, then it’s probably OK.  Don’t be confused by the Latin names under which many ingredients are listed.  Usually the common name will put in parenthesis as well since few us speak Latin.  For example, if you see “Helianus Annuus” you may think that it’s a chemical because you don’t know what it is, but in fact it is just sunflower seed oil.

By supporting entrepreneurs in your area, you are supporting not only your own health, but a healthy eco system.  In America we vote with our dollars.  So by buying organic products from small producers, you tell the large conglomerates that they better change their ways or risk losing money.  And as we’ve seen with the food industry, big business will listen.  So visit your local farmers markets, shop online, or actively seek out small producers and support a healthier way of living.